Hyphenation ofup-and-comingness

Linguistic Analysis of "up-and-comingness" (US English)

1. Pronunciation Examination:

The word "up-and-comingness" presents a complex syllabic structure due to its compound nature and multiple morphemes. It's pronounced roughly as /ʌp ænd ˈkʌmɪŋnəs/. The stress falls on the "com" portion of "coming."

2. Syllable Division:

Following US English syllabification rules, the word divides as follows (using only original letters): up-and-com-ing-ness

3. Morphemic Analysis:

• Prefix: up- (Old English) - Adverbial prefix indicating direction or intensity.
• Conjunction: and (Old English) - Coordinating conjunction.
• Root: come (Old English) - Verb meaning to move toward.
• Suffix: -ing (Old English) - Progressive/gerundive suffix, forming a verb or noun.
• Suffix: -ness (Old English) - Noun-forming suffix denoting a state or quality.

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the third syllable: "com" in "coming." The stress pattern is 0 0 1 0 0.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/ʌp ænd ˈkʌmɪŋnəs/

6. Edge Case Review:

The compound nature of the word and the presence of multiple suffixes require careful consideration. The "and" functions as a conjunction linking "up" and "coming," influencing the syllabification.

7. Grammatical Role:

"Up-and-comingness" functions solely as a noun. There are no shifts in syllabification or stress if it were to function as another part of speech, as it is inherently a noun.

8. Definition & Semantics:

• Definition: The state or quality of being new, promising, and likely to become successful.
• Grammatical Category: Noun
• Synonyms: potential, promise, prospect, emergence, development
• Antonyms: decline, failure, stagnation, obsolescence
• Examples: "The band's up-and-comingness was evident in their energetic performance." "The city is full of up-and-comingness, with new businesses opening every day."

9. Phonological Comparison:

• "understanding": un-der-stand-ing. Similar structure with multiple morphemes and a suffix. Stress falls on "stand."
• "overcoming": o-ver-com-ing. Similar prefix and root structure. Stress falls on "com."
• "beginning": be-gin-ning. Similar suffix structure. Stress falls on "gin."

The differences in syllable division are primarily due to the specific morphemes involved and the resulting vowel clusters. "Up-and-comingness" has a conjunction ("and") that influences the division, which the other words lack.

Detailed Syllable Analysis:

Division Rules Applied:

1. Vowel-Coda Rule: Syllables generally end in a vowel sound.
2. Onset-Coda Rule: Syllables have an onset (initial consonant sound) and a coda (final consonant sound).
3. Compound Word Syllabification: Compound words are divided between their constituent parts.

Special Considerations:

The "and" conjunction creates a unique syllabic boundary. The word's length and multiple morphemes require careful application of syllabification rules to avoid misdivision.

Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations:

Some speakers might slightly reduce the vowel in "and" to a schwa /ənd/, but this doesn't significantly alter the syllable division. Regional accents might affect vowel quality but not the core syllabic structure.